A new treatment that improves cognitive function by removing harmful proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease with a nasal spray is announced
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) have announced a treatment that could improve cognitive function for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia, simply by spraying it into the nose.
New Breakthrough in Alzheimer's Research: UTMB Researchers Develop Nasal Spray Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease
Nasal tau immunotherapy clears intracellular tau pathology and improves cognitive functions in aged tauopathy mice | Science Translational Medicine
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adj5958
One-dose nasal spray clears toxic Alzheimer's proteins to improve memory
https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/nasal-spray-tau-proteins-alzheimers/
At the heart of this new treatment is a specialized antibody called TTCM2, which has the ability to selectively recognize and target harmful tau protein buildup in the brain.
In a healthy brain, the tau protein normally plays a vital role in maintaining the structure of nerve cells, but in neurodegenerative diseases it misfolds and forms aggregates that interfere with nerve cell function.
Conventional treatments have the problem of being unable to fully penetrate the intracellular compartments where tau protein aggregates exist. However, the UTMB research team has encapsulated the TTCM2 antibody in special particles, enabling effective delivery to the brain via the nasal cavity. The research team argues that this method allows the blood-brain barrier , a major barrier, to be bypassed, allowing therapeutic drugs to be delivered to the brain more quickly and effectively.
In addition, the effectiveness of this treatment is enhanced by the action of an intracellular receptor called TRIM21. After the TTCM2 antibody binds to tau protein aggregates, TRIM21 recognizes the bond between the antibody and the aggregates and promotes their degradation, allowing for efficient removal of intracellular proteins that were difficult to achieve with conventional treatments.
In experiments with aged mouse models, the team found that the nasal spray treatment effectively cleared tau protein aggregates and improved cognitive function, potentially offering great hope for millions of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other related disorders.
The UTMB research team plans to conduct further preclinical trials to translate these promising results into a treatment, and ultimately move the TTCM2 antibody into human clinical trials.
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